Spring actuated top



Nov. 3, 1953 F. H. GUSTINE SPRING ACTUATED TOP Filed Dec. 5, 1950 FRANIQ IN H. GUST/NE wiuzlmmu f Y ATTORNEYS- Patented Nov. 3, 1953 UNITE i TENT DFFICE 2 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to improvements in twin tops and. has for an object certain improvements on U. S. Patent No. 1,985,657 granted December 25, 1934, to Franklin J. Gustine and entitled Spring Operated Mechanical Toy.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved toy of this character in which a housing is provided for supporting and embracing the operating spring.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved structure in which the spindle of the lower top is resiliently supported by the operating spring which is placed under torsional tension only by the winding operation so that less force is required to break the interlock between the two tops at the time of launching or dropping the tops to effect the individual spinning thereof.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of twin tops which comprise relatively few parts, are economical to manufacture and are sturdy so that they will stand the rough usage to which they will be put.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be hereinafter more fully described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, in which the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved device at the moment the interlock is broken between the upper and the lower tops,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the lower top and the spindle of the upper top at the beginning of the winding operation,

Figure 3 is a view similar to that of' Figure 2 but at the completion of the winding operation,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary exploded perspective View of the lower top showing the ratchet sleeve, the spindle, the septum and the volute spring,

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view of the twin tops in assembled relation ready for the winding operation,

Figure 6 is a sectional inew taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 5 and looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on the line '!-1 of Figure 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the improved toy comprises twin tops generally designated as an upper top I0 and a lower top H. The upper top It) comprises a pair of dish shaped or concavo-convex sections 12 and I3 which are joined together at their marginal edges by an overturned seam M to provide a hollow body and a spindle [5 extending through aligned substantially centrally positioned openings in the sections l2 and i3. The spindle is fixedly secured to the sections [2 and I3 in any suitable manner and projects above and below the sections and its lower end portion has a tapered blunt end [6 upon which the upper top [0 is adapted to spin when deposited or launched upon a flat surface. The spindle I5 is provided in spaced relation to its lower end [6 with a laterally or radially extending pin H to provide a winding key and a locking pawl for cooperation with the lower top as later described.

The lower top H comprises an upper section It and a lower section [9 which are similar in shape and construction to the upper top sections l2 and I3, respectively, and provide a hollow body. The sections l8 and I9 have marginal edge flanges 20 and 2|, respectively, between which are positioned the peripheral edge portion of a septum 22 which is positioned within the hollow body formed by the sections l8 and I9. The sections l8 and I9 and the septum 22 are held in assembled relation by a flange which has a vertical portion 23 extending downwardly from the flange 29 of the section I8 across the edges of the septum and the flange 2| of the section l9 and a horizontal portion 24 firmly engaging the under face of the flange 2!.

The septum 22 has an enlarged substantially centrally disposed opening 25 therein and depending from the wall of the opening 25 is a skirt or flange 26 the lower edge of which rests upon the inner face of the section l9 and in cooperation therewith forms a housing and a support for a volute spring 21. The outer end portion of the spring 2'! extends through a slit 28 formed in the skirt 26 and is bent upon itself to form a hook 29 which faces in the direction of the movement of the spring during the winding or coiling operation.

The hook 29 receives the opposed adjacent wall 30 of the slit 28 and the other wall of the slit 25 is bent inwardly as at 3| and due to its inherent resiliency the bent portion 3! will tend to return to its original position and will frictionally engage the spring 2'! adjacent the hook 29 to urge the closed portion of the hook towards the wall 30.

The inner end portion of the spring 27 extends through a slot 32 formed in a hollow spindle 33 at substantially the longitudinal center thereof. The spindle extends through aligned substantially centrally disposed openings in the sections 18 and I9 of the lower top H and through the opening 25 of the septum and the innermost convolution of the spring 21. The inner end portion of the spring which is disposed within the hollow spin- 5 dle 33 is bent as at 34 to prevent the escape of the inner end portion of .the spring from the spindle.

The spindle 33 extends above and below the sections l8 and I9 'and'hasa tapered-:blunt'closed 10 lower end 35 upon which the lower top may spin and its upper end is open as indicated at 36 and has a shoulder 31 formed by a cam surface 387.- in the upper edge of the spindle 33. Aratchet or locking sleeve 39 is fixed in any suitable'man= 5 ner in the opening in the upper section l8:,of ;the lower top H and encircles the upper portion of the spindle to provide a bearin'g'for theupper end of the spindle. The upper end portionlofthe sleeve 39 projects above the action l8 and 5 the upper edge oithesleeve has a pair of diametrically disposed shoulders and l fll'which' are formed by the cam .surfacesr42lon. the upper edge of the sleeves. Thelshoulders llllandif face in a direction opposite to that 'in which the shoulder 31- of the spindle -33 faces, that the shoulders to and 4 I. face .acldckwise direction and the shoulder v31 faces-in ancounterclockwise direction.

In the-use of (the-.improvedw.toy;the. lower, end portion of the spindle. |5Ioiiftheupper top .lt'iwill be inserted into the.openrupperend fifof the spindle 33-of the lower-top, H. The lowertop' will be grasped in one h'andandth'e .upper top will be grasped'in the-other.hand. The two tops will then be turnedirelatively; to. a. position .to engage the pin l1 ofthe upperlspiridle I?) with theshoulder 31 of. thelower spindle 33so that. the lower'spindle will be turned linlth'e lower top during the windingaction.

At the same time the upper .top isv depressed toward the lower top soas to bring the pin ll in front of one of the shoulders. Mlior 4| of jthe sleeve 39 to prevent the spindle 33fturning backward while a new grip is securedwupon. thevtops for 'iurther winding action. Asfurther rotative action is impartedto the tops the .pinv l1 Twillride up one of the camlsurfaces Alto ,reachthe .forward face-of the shoulder 40 .or 41.1 Since-the rotative action of the topsplaces. the spring]? under torsional strain the spring willi'fmaintain the shoulder 37 in-interlockingengagement with the pin; 51 and .the'fact that the spindle-33rlis resiliently supported by the spring 21 thespindle r 33 will have longitudinal movement in. both directions so that thespindle 33 and thehpin. i1 will be free tomove as a unit aXiallyof-Ltne, spindle When the spring 21 has,been.wound.-. sufiiciently the pin i'l will be forced downflinto engagement with'oneof the-shoulders .or 41- of the sleeve 39 and the torsional pressure oi the spring 2'! actingthrough thespindle 33 and the, shoulder 31 is sufiicient to frictionally -hold.l.the. pin l? against-theshoulder 4001'. H.

After the tops have been Wound together until 65.

the desired tension of the spring. 21 isobtained, the twinttops may be dropped-asravunit soithat, thepoint 35 :of the lower spindle 33lstrikes .thei floor 33 or otherhard supporting surface. The, jar thus produced is sufficient, supplementedibyr; the inertia of the lower top body H, to dislodge the pin I! from the shoulder '40 or 4 lasothat the spring 21 not onlyu reacts against the two spindles. l5;and 33 .to turn themoin:oppositezdirectionsw but also acts to eject the upper. spindle-.1 5 out of .75.

providedpn" the sleeve 39.

the open end 36 of the lower spindle 33. During this action the shoulder 31 of the spindle 33 is maintained for a sufficient period of time in pressing contact with the pin I! so as to rapidly turn the upper spindle [5 with the upper top [0 in a direction opposite to the turning of the spindle 33 and the lower top I l.

The result of this operation is that the tops are turned or spun in opposite directions and the upper top is ejected with sufficient force tothrow it to one side of the lower top:so;thatthe two tops are left spinning independently upon the floor.

If desired, any number of shoulders could be The skirt 26 which acts as-a's-housing for the spring 21 will confine the movement of the spring during unwinding operation" thereorto help prevent displacement of theespring with respect to its anchorage in the slit 28 of the skirt and in the spindle 33. It willlbelnoted from Figure 5 of the drawings that the lower edge of the "springj2 ii "is -spaced above the inner face: oifthesection";I9rfso that when' the spindle 33 "is moveddownwardly during the winding operatio'ni' there will" be sufficient space between the springandth'esection 1i 9 to permit such movement without' pjermitting distortion or displacement of th"e.vspring 2'ii It 'is'ob'vious "thativarious fchangesand modi= ficaticns may be 'made" in". the details "of-con= struction'. and" design of the t above specifically described fembodiment'fof this invention without departing from thespirit thereof such "changes and modifications ibein'g 'restri'cted only b'y the scope or 'the "following claims:

What I claim is :1

1;" In"; an improved'f'twin top construction, a hollow top having a concavo-convex lower and upper wall, said walls. beingprovided-withdat eral flanges at theinperiphleral edge; portions and having, their concave races in" confronting 1' relation, a septum transverselyymounted between the'walls' andhavingits. marginal edge portionclamped between the flanges "of "the 1111 1 91 and lower walls, one of "saidiflangesxhavinga vertical portion. terminating ,a lateral extension and" encompassing the marginal'edge porti'on"'ofthe septumand flange of the other Wall; said'septunr having an enlarged centen opening, ,a skirt extendihg at rightangle's' frornlth'e septum'and' bounding theiopening, said skirtibeing secured to thenconcave. vfaceroi one of/said walls, said l walls having centrally.disposedaligned openings;

said .opening in. theiseptum being concentric Lto' saidlopenings, a spindle slidably' disposed through i. said openings in theawall'sandhaving an axial slot, said skirthaving anaxial slit therein, a

volute. spring disposed within 1 the, confines of said skirt and shaving itsiouter. end, portion engaged-in...the slit in saidskirt and its inner end portion anchored in. the slot inrsaid spindle".vv

2. In an improved twin top constr'ucti'o'nya hollowntopl having a "concave-convex .lowerand.

upper wall, said Walls being provided withfla't; eralnflanges at their peripheraledge portions and having-their concavefaces invconfr'onting relation, a septum transversely mountedbetween the walls andihaving its marginal edge portion clampedbetween the flanges of theupper. and lower walls, one of said flanges havinga vertical portioniterminatingin a. lateral extension and encompassing..,the marginal I edge portion of 'the septum and .fla'nge :of ,thejother wall, said"sep tum having anienlargedreenter opening, a skirt extending at right angles ifriomithe septum and 8 bounding the opening, said skirt being secured to the concave face of one of said walls, said walls having centrally disposed aligned openings, said opening in the septum being concentric to said openings, a spindle sliclably disposed through said openings in the walls and having an axial slot, said skirt having an axial slit therein, a volute spring disposed within the confines of said skirt and having its outer end portion engaged in the slit in said skirt and its inner end porton anchored in the slot in said spindle, said slit being defined by two walls one of which resiliently urges said outer end portion of the spring into frictional bindingengagement with the other of said walls of the slit.

FRANKLIN H. GUSTINE.

Number Number Name Date Gustine Aug. 7, 1900 Pearsall et a1. May 7, 1912 Esper Oct. 27, 1925 Gustine Dec. 25, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Apr. 27, 1897 

